CONGO
Tshisekedi Sworn In
Despite lingering concerns about his election victory, Félix Tshisekedi was sworn into office as the new president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Thursday.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta was the only African head of state to attend the ceremony, though a total of 17 were invited, the BBC reported. However, the US recognized his victory a day earlier, after the Congolese Constitutional Court certified the election results, ABC News reported.
“We are committed to working with the new DRC government,” a US Department of State spokesperson said in a statement. “We encourage the government to include a broad representation of Congo’s political stakeholders and to address reports of electoral irregularities.”
The BBC noted that numerous critics claim that rival candidate Martin Fayulu was the true winner, and Tshisekedi manipulated the results through a backroom deal with Joseph Kabila – the long-serving president he replaces. Though the Constitutional Court rejected Fayulu’s appeal for a recount, they say the court is too close to Kabila to be independent.
No comments:
Post a Comment